National League Manager Once Again Calls For Rule Change

Barnet manager Dean Brennan once again expressed his desire for National League clubs to be able to make five substitutions and have seven players named on the bench when he appeared on an episode of BBC Sounds’ ‘The London Sport Show.’

This is now the third time this season that the Irishman has called on the rule change to be implemented after also mentioning it on BT Sport after Barnet’s 2-0 win over Bromley and in a recent article with The Non-League Paper.

Why The Push For Five Substitutes?

Brennan’s push for five substitutes stems from the controversial new rule that was introduced across the pyramid at the start of this season to do with additional time. In an attempt to stop time-wasting and other forms of gamesmanship, referees are now adding on much more time at the end of each half so that the ball can be in play for closer to 90 minutes across the whole of the match than before.

This rule has arguably affected the National League more than proportionately due to the lack of ballboys at some grounds and the increased emphasis placed on dead-ball situations.

After the first game of the season against Hartlepool United, the Barnet coaching staff calculated how much more time the players would spend on the pitch according to the added time in that game. They estimated that the players would have to play 12 extra games throughout the season due to the vast amounts of added time.

Whilst this is now unlikely, due to there already being less time-wasting and therefore less added time, there is undoubtedly more physical stress on players due to the rule. If each league game averaged ten added minutes, players would have to spend 460 extra minutes on the pitch, they are essentially playing five more games just in added time.

This creates great problems around player welfare and fitness and only having three substitutions is a barrier to solving that in Brennan’s eye.

Why Having Five Substitutions Can Help To Solve The Problem?

The five substitutions rule would simply mean that fewer players have to play the increased amount of minutes which the new rule has created. More players can be given a rest for the final  15 minutes of a match and this should help to negate any potential injuries happening deep into added time.

It would also allow managers to manage their players’ workloads more effectively. Managers will be able to protect their players more during matches if, for example, they are starting to get cramp, they can afford to take the player off rather than having to make them play on because they know they still have four more substitutes to use for tactical reasons.

Furthermore, managers will be able to name more players on the bench which may mean that they can have direct replacements in more positions than before. This would give more options in terms of resting players at the end of games. It would be particularly useful for Barnet, who often don’t have direct cover for 33-year-old left-back Ben Coker on the bench even though they have another capable left-back at the club in Sam Beard.

Drawbacks Of The Rule Change + Potential Alternatives

The proposed move to five substitutes and seven players on the bench seems to make a lot of sense but the main drawback with the potential change is that it will greaten the inequality within the league. Teams with large budgets like Chesterfield or teams who have bigger squads like Barnet (the current top two in the league) will benefit as they can bring on more quality players.

On the other hand, teams like Wealdstone or Maidenhead, who tend to have smaller budgets may struggle to name a bench with the same quality-in-depth of the other teams and may lose out as a result, potentially making them more inclined to go against the rule change.

An alternative to adding two extra substitutions, though it may not be as effective, is to remove the requirement that National League clubs have to play in their local county cups. An excerpt from the Middlesex FA rulebook states ‘First teams of Senior Clubs playing at Steps 1-5 of the National League System who play on an enclosed, floodlit ground where gate money is regularly taken’ are entered into the Senior Challenge Cup.

Meanwhile, the Hampshire FA rulebook says that ‘It shall be the requirement that all Senior Clubs Grade A-E inclusive and Clubs of Intermediate Status shall enter and play in at least one of the Cup Competitions suitable for its best team.’ This means that clubs have to play in these local competitions whether they like it or not and it forces the players to play extra games, thus creating more stress on their bodies.

However, it may not be as effective at solving the problems to do with player protection as teams often find ways to get around playing first-team players in the County Cups. They often field an eleven made up largely of youth-team players, despite the game technically being a first-team game. This means that teams get knocked out at the earliest possible opportunity therefore showing that playing in the County Cups has a very limited impact on the physical stress of the first team anyway.

Writer’s View

Dean Brennan also mentioned in his appearance on ‘The London Sport Show’ that he has been in contact with members of the National League board. He urged them to initiate a vote on the matter so that the league can ‘get this right.’

So far, there has been no public news of a vote and any changes would likely come in at the start of next season, but the move to five substitutions from seven players named on the bench seems highly logical in terms of player protection.

Brennan, who has backed the rule change so vehemently, will be hoping that he has five substitutes at his disposal next season regardless of whether the rule change is implemented as he looks to guide his Barnet side to promotion.

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